Florida Lead Assistant Regional Counsel, Department of Children and Families Attorney Join Colodny Fass
May 20, 2010
Silvia Maria Gonzalez, Amanda Thompson Bolster Growing Litigation, Children’s Rights Divisions
Silvia Maria Gonzalez, a former Lead Assistant Regional Counsel for the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel for the Third Region of Florida, and Amanda Thompson, a former Florida Department of Children and Families staff attorney, have joined the law and governmental consulting firm of Colodny Fass as Associates.
“The addition of these two seasoned Associates is reflective of our growth in their areas of specialty,” explained Mike Colodny, who leads Colodny Fass as Founding Shareholder.
Silvia Maria Gonzalez
As a member of Colodny Fass’s Litigation Division, Ms. Gonzalez will apply her experience to both commercial and civil cases for the Firm, which range from insurance defense to family law.
A former Assistant Public Defender, Capital Collateral Regional Counsel and subsequent trial and appellate sole practitioner specializing in criminal litigation, Ms. Gonzalez had most recently served the Office of Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel shortly after its inception by the State of Florida in 2007. As a Second Chair Qualified Death Penalty Attorney, she screened all murder cases for the agency and supervised attorneys in its Felony and Domestic Violence divisions.
A member of the Florida Bar since 1995, Ms. Gonzalez earned her Juris Doctorate from Stetson University College of Law and her Bachelor of Business Administration from Florida International University, the latter institution at which she subsequently served for several years as an Adjunct Lecturer for its Legal Studies Institute.
Ms. Gonzalez resides in Miami Lakes with her husband, Manuel Alvarez.
Amanda H.S. Thompson
Amanda H.S. Thompson, who most recently served the State of Florida as a staff attorney for the Children’s Legal Services Division of the Department of Children and Families, will focus on children’s rights and foster care-related issues for the Firm’s Foster Care/Disabled Persons Damages Division.
While at the Department of Children and Families, Ms. Thompson covered dependency and independent living matters for children and young adults. Prior to that, she was the Program Attorney for the Statewide Office of the Guardian Ad Litem’s Pilot Permanency Project. There, she provided legal representation for foster children and participated in all aspects of trial preparation.
Ms. Thompson’s experience in family law and her resulting career dedication to the protection of foster children was developed through her work as an Attorney Ad Litem and law clerk for the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County.
An active member of her academic and civic communities, Ms. Thompson is also a member of the Florida Bar who earned her Juris Doctorate, magna cum laude, at University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. As an undergraduate at Florida Atlantic University, she received her Bachelor of Arts, also magna cum laude, in Political Science.
Ms. Thompson and her husband, Charles, reside in Greenacres, Palm Beach County.